Needle phobia

You could speak to the oncology nurses about whether a picc line would be suitable for her.  It is put in the arm and stays there and the cancer drugs are put in through the picc and the blood tests can be done via it.  I am having one cos I’m black and blue every time they put a cannula in.  It is worth asking as it is a little procedure and then not many more needles.  I thing the ct, mri and pet scans aren’t done via the picc but would still require a cannula but it would probsbly be easier to cope with just those.  Don’t ask me what picc stands for as I don’t have a clue!!  You have to keep it dry when showering but you get some sort of sleeve.

Hello MazLC,

Thank you for replying. I did search 'needle phobia' after my post, not quite sure why i didn't think of it in the first place  and many replies were about a Picc line too, but mum mentioned this yesterday, so i assume she's had this conversation with her onc nurse, as mum said she's not having one as it has to be cleaned weekly. I think this would probably be a good idea, but mum clearly doesn't. 

She tried the numbing cream, but said it makes your veins narrow or something so they had to put warm water on her hands. 

Think i will have a chat to her nurse and get mum to talk to her onc nurse again and see if there is anything other suggestion. I keep telling mum the more she faces this fear, the feelings should lesson, hopefully. 

Hope your mum is feeling better now ?  I don't know whether it would help to let your mum know she is not alone.  I have witnessed a grown man cried like a baby after weeks of daily injections and blood testing (the medical staff were unable to find out what he had, so had to keep testing.  It was excruciating he said, even with picc).  He told me he was scared of those nurses, "One of them is a vampire, she wants blood !!!"  He used to be a strong man, so we were very surprised to see him like that.  Thankfully he is now cured, the needle days are finally behind him.

Hi Bearhug, I have now got my picc line - the District Nurse came to flush it.  She will come on a weekly basis to do it - took less than ten minutes from her coming in the door to going out again.  Much easier and far less painful than constant stabbing trying to get a cannula in.  In my case they struggled to get the picc line in as I have had 4 cycles of chemo and my veins are a bit knackered but as I am continuing on with immunotherapy it is worth it.

I have a picc line and that’s good but after all the chemo and the surgery and the hospital stays I’ve discovered that as an in patient they still want to canulate and use this instead of the picc line. The Ct scans need a canula and now blood won’t come out of my picc so I have to have blood tests normally. I never used to have a problem but now my vein are awful and they take sometimes 20+ attempts to canulate. 
I have a ct scan Monday and I am out of my mind with worry about it. If they get it in it’s in a tiny vein someone and then they dye hurts as it goes in. Last time I was in the X-ray department a whole day getting canulated and ended up literally traumatised and shaking uncontrollably. 
how can I control my own weakness in this? 
k xxx